USA Salary After Tax: Federal, State and FICA Deductions

Start with earnings and filing assumptions

Enter regular gross earnings before deductions, then select the period that describes that number. A USD 75,000 annual offer should be entered as Year. A USD 3,000 biweekly amount should be entered as Biweekly. The calculator annualizes the input before showing the planning breakdown.

Choose the filing status that describes your federal tax situation. Include an annual bonus once and enter a traditional pre-tax retirement contribution separately. Keeping those inputs distinct helps you compare the same earnings with and without a retirement contribution.

Compare biweekly and twice-monthly pay periods →

Federal income tax and FICA are separate

Federal income tax is calculated progressively, using the applicable filing status, taxable income, deductions and credits. The ToolsFA estimate uses the 2026 standard deduction and federal brackets; it does not model every credit or deduction.

For 2026, the employee Social Security rate is 6.2% on covered wages up to USD 184,500. Medicare is 1.45% on covered wages without that wage-base cap. Additional Medicare Tax can apply at higher earnings; employer withholding and the final filing-status liability have different threshold rules.

For a simple payroll-tax illustration, USD 75,000 of wages subject to both taxes produces USD 4,650 of employee Social Security and USD 1,087.50 of Medicare before any Additional Medicare Tax. Those amounts do not include federal or state income tax.

See income tax and payroll taxes as separate lines →

Treat the state result as a simplified estimate

State tax rules can include brackets, deductions, credits and local taxes. Living in one state and working in another can add filing and withholding questions. A quick one-state estimate cannot capture every combination.

ToolsFA applies a representative state rate and deduction. Its result excludes city and county taxes, many state-specific adjustments and multi-state allocation. The state selection is useful for a rough scenario comparison; verify a detailed paycheck with the employer’s payroll team and the applicable state agency.

If the state estimate is a large part of the result, give that line extra attention before setting a spending plan. For a New York job, for example, confirm whether a local income tax applies rather than assuming the state line includes every deduction.

Reconcile the deposit, not just the tax total

Net pay is gross earnings less the deductions that come out of your pay. A traditional 401(k) contribution can lower income-tax wages, but the contribution itself also leaves less cash for the deposit. An employer match is a different part of compensation and is not added to spendable take-home pay.

Health insurance, HSA or FSA elections, other benefits and garnishments may change a pay stub. The salary tool does not model every benefit election. Do not assume all pre-tax deductions have the same treatment as a traditional 401(k).

For a monthly budget, divide an annual net estimate by 12. For payday planning, use the selected payment frequency and the actual employer calendar. The annual average can look different from a particular month’s deposits.

See how traditional 401(k) contributions affect take-home pay →

Use withholding tools for a paycheck checkup

Payroll withholding depends on Form W-4 information and the employer’s pay-period method. An annual tax estimate divided into pay periods is useful for planning, but it may not match the amount withheld on each check.

Use the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator when a job, household or income change makes the federal withholding assumptions uncertain. For a refund estimate, compare income-tax withholding with estimated annual tax liability in the separate refund calculator. Social Security and Medicare withholding should not be added to federal income-tax withholding.

Estimate a US refund using income tax already withheld →